Main points:

  • Binance will never contact users in WhatsApp groups to offer investment advice, purchase discussions, or requests for funds.

  • You can always confirm the legitimacy of someone claiming to represent Binance with the Binance Verify tool.

  • Scammers tend to use WhatsApp and other messaging platforms to carry out phishing scams. They will try to gain your trust and ask you for information or transfers.

Stay alert and always follow our official communication channels!

Your online security is very important to us. Before we delve into the details, we have an important message to share:

  • Binance will never contact you via WhatsApp to offer investment advice, offers or requests for funds.

  • If someone claims to represent Binance and contacts you to request transfers or offer investment advice via WhatsApp, they are trying to deceive or scam you.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for some people to impersonate us to contact you and request transfers. In fact, we recently learned of scammers who had impersonated the Binance France and Italy teams to extort money from our community through WhatsApp groups.

Getting informed is one of the best ways to protect yourself against these scams and that is why we are here today. Let's stay alert together!

How Binance will actually communicate with you

There are several ways in which Binance may contact you or you may contact us:

  • Through the Binance customer support team, available 24/7 on our customer support portal.

  • Through our official X account (previously known as Twitter): @BinanceLATAM.

  • Via Telegram. However, make sure you have verified the contact's identity with the Binance Verify service. This tool allows you to check a website, email address, Telegram ID or other point of contact to see if it is legitimate.

  • You should also carefully examine any community groups you belong to. Our article Protect yourself from community group scams will help you do this.

  • Via email. Again, be sure to use Binance Verify to carefully verify the shipping address.

What is the danger?

In a word: phishing. Phishing scams involve deceptive tactics in which a scammer convinces the victim to send funds or hand over sensitive information. This is often accomplished through fake emails, websites, or messages that closely resemble legitimate crypto platforms. The scammer aims to exploit the user's trust before asking for information or assets.

How can phishing attempts be made through WhatsApp?

As the cryptocurrency and social media landscape expands, so do the tactics of malicious actors seeking to exploit unsuspecting people. WhatsApp is one of the most popular contact methods for millions of people around the world, which makes it vulnerable to being used by scammers.

This is what a WhatsApp phishing scam would typically look like:

1. Phishing: A scammer creates a fake WhatsApp profile that resembles a Binance representative.

2. Urgent issue: They claim an urgent issue with your Binance account, such as suspicious activity.

3. Request for information or funds: The scammer requests sensitive information, such as account credentials and two-factor authentication codes, or requests that you transfer cryptocurrency.

4. False trust: Scammers share some details that seem credible, potentially from public sources.

5. Isolation and disappearance: The scammer insists on secrecy and convinces his victim to never discuss this with anyone else—even with Binance support—claiming that the situation is delicate and requires handling discreetly. Finally, the scammers disappear after sending cryptocurrency or information, leaving you with the losses.

Staying alert and informed is your weapon against scams

By understanding how the scam works, you will be prepared to spot it. This is one of the most powerful ways you can protect yourself. Don't forget that we will never contact you via WhatsApp to offer investment advice or request fund transfers. You can be sure that anyone who does this is trying to scam you, so stay vigilant and follow our official communication channels.

You might also be interested…

Risk management: Binance's fight against social engineering

Protect yourself from scams in community groups

How to Identify Binance Angels Impostors